With a swimming style that given its fluidity is more comparable to hovering, Perlina and Nerissa leave a stream of bubbles in their trail as they jet down the halls of the underwater palace's aquarium-like interior. Nerissa maintains her lead, while Perlina drags further and further behind, growing weary.
Nerissa is too fast! Why did she of all people have to make me chase her?!
"Sister…Nerissa…please…haaa haaa…give him…back…"
"Sure, I will gladly–after I show mother! See you there–try not to be too late, ya slowpoke!"
Perlina comes to a stop, resting her knees on the smooth pebble floor. Nerissa, not missing an opportunity to gloat, continues down the hallway sticking her tongue out behind her.
Though her body is resting, her heart leaks from her eyes.
Once mom and my sisters become aware of Vex, they will certainly eat him. I tried my best to save him and make things better but…
"Vex…I'm sorry. I've only made your life worse."
I thought I was saving him because it was a good deed…but is that really true? Why did I want to save this human in the first place?
Is it because…
…he reminds me of…
…
"...the best man I ever knew…"
_____________________________________________________________________
About 300 years ago, on the surface of the mystical garden's lake…
"Here, eat."
Within the middle of her palm, a water nymph holds the body of a chubby man whose pupils are replaced with fluttering pink hearts. This water nymph giantess's navy shoulder-length hair covers her left eye, making her serious expression all the more–yet with an air of maturity about her. This is true especially in comparison to the smaller, more immature water nymph whom she is offering her hand to.
"Mother, do you really want me to–"
"Of course I do, my daughter. Eat this man and don't leave any traces behind. There is no such thing as wasted food in our family."
"B-but I…"
"If you have time to think of excuses, then you have time to eat. I suggest you spend your time wisely."
"...I'm not that hungry, mother."
GRUMBLE
"!"
"Goodness, Perlina. I worked hard to lure a crew of sailors here to show you how to do this work properly. I even went out of my way to save you the very best-looking of the men so that you could experience the taste for yourself. All of your older sisters went through this process and had no issues whatsoever–now each of them have managed to capture hundreds of men. If you can't set aside this unwarranted hesitation that contradicts our nature, then how do you even expect to capture your first when the time comes? Let alone become a mother with daughters of your own to raise."
"I don't mean to disrespect you or our traditions, and I really want things to work out in the future…but my heart feels uneasy for some reason, mother…"
"That's odd. Very odd. When you were younger, you couldn't wait to start capturing men like your sisters. In fact, you happily ate spare men or leftovers. What has changed since then?"
"I don't…I don't know…"
Unable to deal with the immense pressure coming from her mother, Perlina sags her head down, choosing to look at the object that is much easier on her eyes–the whirlpool swirling around them.
"Just swallow him whole–it is a very simple task. He's in a trance, so he won't mind–neither should you."
"..."
"Refusing to budge? Okay then, I will handle this man myself…"
Pop!
In a sudden maneuver, Perlina's mother tightly clenches her fist, squeezing the hopeless chubby man within her hand. After only a few seconds, she releases the pressure and reveals her handiwork–a lifeless husk with charred skin.
"There, his body is now deep-fried. Surely you can stomach him now that he is dead. What do you think about doing it now?"
"I…I still don't…want to–?!"
In the middle of Perlina articulating her response, seizing the perfect opportunity to take advantage of, her mother shoves the man into her open mouth at a speed so fast that Perlina couldn't react. Despite Perlina's desperate attempts to make a last-minute resistance, her mother aggressively holds her hand over her mouth and nose, forcing a binary decision: swallow or suffocate. With a heavy heart, she hastily makes her decision.
"Gulp…"
A plump lump slides down her throat, smoothly traveling to its resting place.
"See, that wasn't so difficult was it? I thought you were too mature for your mother to have to force-feed you, but that should be the final time. How was it?"
As badly as I want to deny it…
"...he was very delicious, mother."
There's no point in hiding the truth–it would only make things worse.
"Just as I suspected. Now that your senses are returning, it should be much easier for you to eat the next man. How about we–"
Sploosh!
Refusing to lose more times than she already has, Perlina dives into the whirlpool before her mother could react.
"Sigh, she got away this time–I'll consider today a draw. Then tomorrow will have to suffice, I suppose…Sey, what have you done to my daughter…"
_________________________________________________________
"Hm, hmm, hm hm hmmm…"
Within a steamy jacuzzi, a lonely middle-aged man scrubs the suds in his bright lemon hair as he hums a certain song. All the while, he lets the jet streams rinse his tanned skin–more and more bubbles rise up to the surface.
"Man, I can't remember the last time I ever felt this good in a jacuzzi...?"
SPLOOSH!
"Gack!"
"Dad, I want to speak with you about…um, daddy?"
Emerging from the depths of the jacuzzi, Perlina shoots a stream of water upwards, creating violent waves. With an innocent look on her face, as though she did not anticipate that her gigantic size would have such drastic consequences, she finds the man lying on the floor facing upwards.
"I'm okay, Perlina. You just startled your old man, is all. I may not be an elderly fella, but I'm certainly not as young as I used to be. Try not to do spontaneous visits during my bath time, okay? Fortunately, no one else is here."
"Oh, I'm so sorry about that, dad. I didn't mean to…"
"It's okay, I swear. Come on, I have some time to kill. The water isn't too hot for you, is it?"
"No, not at all…so about today, I…"
"Wait a second. Would you mind pushing me back in the water? My back is a bit sore. Please be gentle–even though you have yet to reach your mature size, your dad isn't nearly as big as your hands as they are now."
Perlina nods, following her father's request with care.
"Ahh, that's more like it. Anyway, let me guess–Gladdis took you out to show you the ropes today…again, is that right?"
"Dad, she made me eat a man! I was forced to swallow him if I wanted to breathe! I didn't want to do it, I really didn't but…sniffle."
"Uh-huh. Sounds like you either have a cold or you are feeling gloomy. Which one is it?"
"Dad, didn't you hear what I just said? I ate a man…you know, a human…"
"Wouldn't be the first time, I reckon. That's all?"
"...and my body enjoyed…I enjoyed the taste."
"Okay, that sounds about right."
"Why aren't you angry with me? I ate one of your species as your daughter! That man, he could have been some other girl's father! If someone were to do that to you, I'd be devastated! Shouldn't you be at least somewhat disappointed? Why are you so calm?!"
"Perlina, I know what life I signed up for–rather, what life I was forced to sign up for. Anyway, I've come to accept life as it is–you along with your mother and sisters are man-eating creatures. I don't necessarily think that is a good thing, but I've come to terms with it as a fact of life. We humans eat all sorts of living creatures, yet we don't bat an eye. The fact that you are even considering this shows that your heart is in the right place."
"So you're not afraid of me…of us? What if I were to get so hungry that I ended up eating you?"
"Haha, well, I'm still a little afraid of Gladdis, but afraid of you eating me? Even if you could do that, I know you wouldn't. You too know you wouldn't, so why worry yourself over improbable hypotheticals?"
"I wish I inherited a heart as easygoing as yours, dad…"
"No need to wish that. I'm staying true to my convictions, you should do the same."
"What do you mean?"
Taking interest in his explanation, Perlina sinks her body deeper into the jacuzzi, leveling her heat to match the height of her human-sized father.
"If your heart has changed to convict you, then follow what you believe is right. Of course as a human myself, I'm not too fond of the idea of eating people, but from a water nymph's perspective, it's just nature taking its course. The way that we were created in this world is none of our doing, don't ya think? Hmph, I suppose that my human morality is rubbing off on ya, huh? Guess you spent too much time around me after all. Bet Gladdis is furious, hahaha."
"..."
"But, I think it's endearing. A man-eating water nymph that feels sympathetic for men–what a novelty. Who knows, you just might become the most sought-out nymph that every man would die to meet."
"Um, thanks?"
"Bah, I know that my answer may have confused you even more. I'm no wise sage after all! Whatever you do, you must take responsibility for the life you choose. It's much easier to do what's natural for you, isn't it?"
"Yeah…"
"But if everyone always did that, then life wouldn't have spice, would it? Think about what you truly want, and seize it."
"Think about what I truly want?...! I want to befriend a man like you someday!"
"What am I going to do if some guy steals my baby girl's heart? On second thought, maybe it's actually a good thing for you to eat certain men! Come here, let me dote on you!"
With a gleeful smile–the kind that only a father could truly fathom–he pats her giant forehead with his soapy hands. Naturally in a typical manner, his daughter puffs her checks slightly.
"Come on dad, I'm in my 60s already!"
"So what? You are still a very young water nymph, and will always be my little girl no matter how old you get."
Unable to resist any further, Perlina deflates her cheeks and smiles.
"...thanks dad. I love you so much!"
"Oof!"
Expressing the intensity of her gratitude, Perlina cups her father into her hands and presses him against her chest.
"I…love…you…too…!"
__________________________________________________________
"...seize what I want…"
That's right, this is my opportunity to obtain what I've wanted all of these years!
"Forgive me for my selfishness, Vex. But I cannot let this chance escape me!"
Full of confidence, Perlina wipes her eyes dry, lifts up her head, stands up tall and resumes swimming at a speed 50% faster than before.
Just as my father inspired me, I feel in my heart that you would do the same.
No matter what my sisters think…
No matter what mother says…
"--I'll make you mine!"